Back for Christmas
by TDBigJ1213
Summary: It's Christmastime and Ash decides to call all his friends and former traveling companions to come celebrate it with him. But when Ash storms off after he and Clemont have a fight, his friends worry that he won't be back in time for the party. Christmas one-shot. Contains minor Amourshipping.


**TDBigJ's message:** Hello people, what's up? How you doin'? Anyways, since it is the holidays, I thought I would make you a Christmas one-shot as a gift. So, let's get this going!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

It was December 23rd and it was a cold and snowy day outside. I mean, it was not just cold, it was very, VERY cold, and it was snowing pretty badly. Ash and company were all dressed up in their snow gear. They were in Anistar City and heading towards the Pokemon center just so they could get out of the freezing cold. With weather like this, they were pretty sure that the Pokemon center would be packed.

They soon arrived at the center and went inside. Their hunches were only half correct as the center was a little packed but not completely. They crossed their fingers hoping that there was a room available. They just came out of the cold so they were still shivering a little. Luckily the line wasn't very long and there were plenty of rooms still open. They got their room and quickly rushed to it. When they entered they threw their stuff down on the floor and sighed.

"This is one hell of a snowstorm." Clemont stated.

"T-t-tell me about it." Serena said while still shivering. Out of all of them, she was the coldest.

"Well, at least we're inside. We'll be a lot warmer in here." Ash said, sitting down on his bed.

"Looks like we are going to have a white Christmas, though." Bonnie said, all energetic. Ash smiled at her.

"Good way to stay positive, Bonnie. It's not every year we have snow at Christmastime." Ash stated.

"And we get to spend Christmas together. How great is that?" Bonnie said. She was in a very ecstatic mood. Being a little kid and full of energy, why wouldn't she be?

"Yeah, there will be just the four of us spending it together. It's better than spending it alone." Serena stated. The others nodded their heads, but the only one who didn't nod their head was Ash. Serena noticed this and a tiny frown appeared across her lips.

"Something wrong, Ash?" Serena asked her friend. Ash just kept looking forward. "Ash, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. It's just that, I'm far away from home and I can't see my mom this holiday. And I really wish that it could be more than just the four of us." Ash explained. Clemont and Bonnie now took notice.

"I wish there was something we could do, Ash." Clemont stated, feeling concerned.

"With the snowstorm we're having right now, we're bound to be spending Christmas here in the Pokemon center. So I wish I could spend it in a special way." Ash said, still looking down. But after a few seconds, his face lit up. He smiled as he suddenly came up with an idea.

"I know what I can do!" Ash exclaimed. The sad Ash from a moment ago was now a memory.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm going to call all my friends from my past journeys and invite them to spend Christmas here with us. I think it would be a great way to enjoy the holidays." Ash said, bursting with excitement. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were happy to see Ash now in a great mood.

"That's a great idea Ash!" Clemont stated. "And we should probably get gifts for each other too."

"And since the front lobby didn't look up to par for the holidays, I will discuss something with Nurse Joy over decorating it." Serena said, coming up with an idea of her own.

"Let's all put that in motion. Let's get gifts for each other first and then decorate the lobby. I'll call my friends later and invite them all. I can't wait to spend Christmas with everybody." Ash said, now in an energetic mood.

So the four of them went back outside and went to nearby stores to buy gifts for each other. Ash probably did the most because he was buying for all his friends, not just Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie, but his friends/former traveling companions. He got them each a small thing, not small like cheap but something small and nice and within a decent price range. Ash got back from his shopping and Serena apparently already had started decorating the Pokemon center's front lobby. She must have gotten an okay from Nurse Joy to do so. Clemont and Bonnie were already helping them as well. Ash put all his gifts in the nearest corner where everyone else's was and hurried over to the video monitor to start contacting his friends. The first person he contacted was probably the best friend that traveled with him on the majority of his journeys: Brock. Brock showed up on the monitor and was surprised to see Ash on the other end.

"Hey Ash, how's it going?" Brock greeted, joyous to see his friend.

"Great Brock! What about you?" Ash asked his once longtime travel buddy.

"About the same. Anyway, why'd you call?" Brock asked.

"Well, I was thinking, since it's the holidays, and being together during the holidays is traditional, would you like to come and spend it with me and my friends?" Ash explained. A look of happiness appeared on Brock's face.

"Absolutely Ash. It would be great! We could catch up. Where in what region are you?" Brock asked.

"I'm in Anistar City in the Kalos region. Would you be able to make it?" Ash asked, hoping Brock would be willing to take the long plane ride over.

"I think I can deal with that." Brock answered. Ash was happy that he would get to see Brock again. "Oh, and by the way, can I bring my siblings along too?"

"Of course. The more, the merrier." Ash stated.

"Especially merrier since it's Christmas." Brock joked. He and Ash shared a laugh.

"All right Ash, I'll see you by tomorrow night or Christmas morning." Brock said, confirming his invitation. "Bye!"

"Okay Brock, bye!" Ash said and hung up on his end. He looked through the little notebook containing numbers of his friends. The next person he was going to call was going to be someone he traveled along with back in the Sinnoh region other than Brock: Dawn. After a few moments, Dawn appeared on the screen. Her face lit up when she saw Ash on the monitor.

"Oh my, Ash, it's you! How's it been going?" Dawn asked, very elated to see someone she considered a brother.

"Things have been going great. How's it been being a coordinator?" Ash asked in return.

"Really awesome! I've won a lot of contests since I last saw you." Dawn answered.

"Looks like you've been successful. I'm very happy for you Dawn." Ash congratulated.

"Thanks Ash! That means a lot coming from you. So, what did you call me for?" Dawn asked, now leaning forward so she could hear Ash clearer.

"I was just wondering that since it's almost Christmas and I haven't seen you in a while, how would you like to come spend it with me and my friends?" Ash asked.

"Ash, it would be great to come spend the holidays with you. And besides, I would like to meet your current friends you are traveling with." Dawn said.

"Awesome! So can I count on you being here by Christmas?" Ash asked. Dawn nodded her head.

"I sure can. And where are you right now?" Dawn asked, wanting to know where to meet him.

"I am in Anistar City in Kalos. Is that too much trouble?" Ash asked in a concerned tone.

"Not a problem, Ash. I will make sure to be there. And can my mom come too?" Dawn asked.

"She's more than welcome. What's Christmas without your family?" Ash asked. The two shared a laugh.

"Good point. I'll see you then." Dawn stated.

"Okay, Dawn. See you then!" Ash said and turned off his side of the call.

"Ash spent the next half hour contacting all his former traveling companions and friends to the party. This included: Misty, Gary, May, Max, Iris, Cilan, Stephan, and Cameron. Each of them asked if they could invite their families which Ash confirmed they could. He then left the monitor after calling everybody. But there was one person he forgot to call: His mother. He then went back into the lobby to help the others decorate. The lobby was about halfway decorated. Ash had to admit, they had been doing a fine job in doing so.

"Hey guys. So how's the decorating going?" Ash asked as he went to pick up a bulb that was in a box.

"Pretty good. We got the tree set up. And we're putting the ornaments on right now. Clemont and Serena are decorating the walls and such." Bonnie explained.

"Cool! I can't wait to see this lobby when it's done. And all my friends when they arrive here." Ash exclaimed, super stoked about the next couple of days.

"It will be great to meet them. I wonder what they are like." Bonnie asked.

"They are great people Bonnie. You will grow to love them as much as I did." Ash said as he put the bulb in his hand on the tree and went to grab another in the box. Bonnie then noticed a decoration that Clemont had built on the chair to the side of them and put an arm in front of Ash.

"Whoa, watch it, Ash. Clemont has his decoration on the chair. Be careful and try not to bump it onto the floor. He's been making that for a week and he wants it on top of the tree." Bonnie said, trying to keep Ash from doing so.

"Oh, okay. I will keep track of that." Ash said and returned to decorating the tree. Clemont came over and picked up the decoration and started working on it for the moment.

"What is that supposed to be, Clemont?" Ash asked, pointing at the decoration in Clemont's hand.

"It's supposed to be a star for the top of the tree. It lights up and glows different colors." Clemont answered.

"Ah! That's cool! You want me to hang that up last?" Ash asked. Clemont nodded his head.

"Yeah. Just wait until you have all the decorations on and then put it up." Clemont explained.

"Gotcha!" Ash said and put another ornament on the tree. Clemont made some final tweaks to the star and put it down on the chair and returned to decorating the rest of the lobby with Serena. Clemont took a wreath that was sitting on the ground next to his feet.

"You excited for Christmas, Serena?" Clemont asked. Serena smiled and nodded her head.

"Am I ever. This is one of the times of the year I enjoy the most, because I get to spend it with the people I care about." Serena answered. She was not only happy she got to spend this Christmas with her friends, but with Ash. She had never done so before, and she was definitely looking forward to it. Clemont picked up four items out of the box and handed them to Serena.

"Hey, Serena, would you mind hanging these up at some places here in the lobby?" Clemont asked the honey blonde performer. Serena saw the items in Clemont's hands: mistletoes. She happily took them from his hands.

"Of course! I'd be more than happy to." Serena exclaimed. And that was the truth, she was VERY happy to. She then walked off to strategically place each mistletoe somewhere in the lobby. She looked at one of the mistletoes and smiled.

"Maybe I will catch Ash under one of these." Serena said to herself. She hoped that this would happen. One kiss with Ash under the mistletoe would be a present all by itself to her. She wouldn't care if it was the only thing she would get, as long as it happened she would be happy.

Another forty five minutes passed and the four, plus Nurse Joy, Wigglytuff, and some other citizens, got the lobby decorated. Ash and Bonnie were almost done with the tree. All that was left was to put Clemont's star on top. Ash grabbed it and got up on a chair to put it on the top of the tree. He stretched his arm out to reach it.

"Careful Ash. Don't drop it. You don't want Clemont to blow a gasket." Bonnie stated.

"Yeah, I know." Ash responded. "Just a little more." Ash stretched out a little further until he got the star on the top of the tree. "Perfect!"

But then, something bad happened.

The star fell off the top of the tree and landed on the floor.

" **SMASH!"**

"Oh no!" Bonnie shouted.

"Aw, geez!" Ash exclaimed, getting down from the chair. Clemont and Serena, having heard the star shatter on the floor, rushed over to see what happened. When they saw it, Serena gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, and Clemont's eyes widened as he grabbed his hair.

"NO!"

"Clemont, I'm so sorry!" Ash apologized. However, he saw an expression that he never usually saw on Clemont's face: anger.

"How could this have happened?" Clemont yelled. Ash rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I was putting that on the top of the tree and it fell off." Ash replied. Clemont looked at Ash with an angry expression.

"How simple can it be? You just put it on the top of the tree, make sure it stays there for a few seconds, and then leave it. It's not that hard." Clemont shouted. Serena put her hands on Clemont's right arm.

"Now Clemont, you don't have to get so upset." Serena said, trying to calm him down. Clemont shook her arms off in irritation.

"I spent a week building that. It wasn't easy." Clemont said angrily.

"Clemont, I didn't mean to. It was an honest mistake." Ash said, trying to ease the situation. It however only made it worse.

"An honest mistake? That's all you've got? For crying out loud, Pikachu could have put that star on better." Clemont stated, almost to the breaking point. After Clemont said that, Ash now got angry as well.

"Hey, don't insult Pikachu like that. He's my best friend." Ash stated, now getting defensive.

"This is not about Pikachu, it's about the star I spent so much time building. And now it's broken, thanks to you." Clemont said, rage still boiling.

"Why are you making a big deal out of it anyway? If I turned the star on, it would have exploded like all your other inventions." Ash said angrily. Now Clemont was furious.

"Why did you do this Ash? Why?" Clemont asked in annoyance.

"It's not like he did it intentionally, brother." Bonnie stated. This didn't help at all.

"You know, I'm wanting to spend this Christmas with everybody I care about. I'm looking forward to spending it with my mom. You at least get to spend it with your dad." Ash said, with frustration present in his voice.

"At least I have a dad. Yours abandoned you a long time ago and is who knows where." Clemont shouted. Ash then had a look of shock on his face. The same expression appeared on Serena's and Bonnie's faces as well. Ash was the most shocked. That one hit close to home. After that, Ash went and grabbed his jacket off a nearby chair. Clemont realized what he just said and a look of realization hit his face.

"Ash, wait…" Clemont said while reaching his hand out. But Ash had already got his jacket on and left the Pokemon center.

Clemont then took into account what he said and looked down in sadness. He turned around, facing Serena and Bonnie, whose mouths were slightly open. Serena was the first to speak up.

"Clemont, that was-" Serena said before Clemont put his hand up, signaling her to stop. He sighed sadly.

"Don't tell me. I know." Clemont said in a depressed tone. He put his hands in his pockets and walked past Serena and Bonnie with his head held down. Serena and Bonnie just looked at him in worry as he walked away. They looked at the front door of the Pokemon center. Ash was already gone and out of sight.

After leaving the Pokemon center with Pikachu, Ash started walking in whatever direction. He didn't care where he went, as long as it wasn't near Clemont. He had never gotten into an argument with Clemont before, but with the comment Clemont had made, that hurt him the most. Ash shed a tear out of his right eye.

"Who does Clemont think he is? Insulting my father like that?" Ash whispered to himself. "He's one of my best friends. I would have never expected him to say something like THAT!"

"Pika pi, pika." Pikachu sad sadly, trying to ease the tension that was built up in his partner.

"Yeah Pikachu, I understand that he was mad. But he didn't have to go that far." Ash stated in a sad way, a few more tears falling down his cheeks.

"That was a very sensitive subject. Even my mom didn't go to such an extent when it came to my dad. She never seemed sore on the whole thing." Pikachu felt the depressing mood his trainer was feeling and rubbed his head against Ash's to make him feel better. Ash noticed this and stroked the top of Pikachu's head, with a small smile on his face.

"Thanks buddy. I know I've always got you by my side, no matter what." Ash was appreciating that Pikachu was trying to raise his spirits. He did admit it was working, but only slightly.

After a few more minutes, Ash reached the corner of the street and went to lean up on the wall of a building. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down to the ground.

"I don't know when I'll go back, Pikachu. After that whole incident, I don't want to be near Clemont right now. But all my stuff is back at the Pokemon center." Ash said to his buddy. "Eh, I'll manage."

It was still snowing out but not as much as it was earlier, and it was still pretty damn cold. Ash had been standing against that building for five minutes now. No one really walked by. He thought it was pretty lonely. But then, a man noticed Ash and walked up to him.

"Hey, you doing okay son?" The man asked the raven haired trainer. Ash looked up at the man for a brief second then looked back down.

"I guess so. But I've been better." Ash answered.

"I'm Angus. Who are you?" The man asked, holding out his hand.

"I'm Ash." Ash replied, shaking the man's hand.

"So what brings you out here?" Angus asked.

"Aw, I got into a fight with one of my friends and he said something personal." Ash answered. Angus looked at Ash with curiosity.

"How personal was it?" Angus asked, wanting to know more.

"It was something about my father." Ash answered. Angus had an idea of what he was upset about, but wanted to know a little more.

"What about your father?" Angus asked as he leaned up against the wall himself.

"I have never met my dad in my entire life. He left me and my mom when I was still an infant." Ash explained in further detail. Angus's eyes widened a bit, surprised to hear something like that.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That must hurt." Angus stated.

"You have no idea. Not knowing your dad at all your entire life is something you don't want to grow up with."

"And this friend of yours that said that, is he or she a good friend?" Angus asked.

"Oh yeah, he is a good friend. I can't deny that. And plus, he's the Lumiose City gym leader." Ash said, expanding his explanation.

"Oh that's interesting. And his comment hurts you a lot?"

"Very. Words can't explain how angry and hurt I am right now." Ash stated with a little anger present in his voice.

"Why don't we go back to my place and have a cup of cocoa. That will take your mind off things. I don't live that far from here." Angus offered the young trainer.

"Sure! That sounds great! Thanks!" Ash thanked the middle aged man. Angus started walking off with Ash and Pikachu following close behind him.

 **Back at the Pokemon center**

Serena and Bonnie were putting up the final decorations in the lobby. After putting up the last one, Serena walked back a few feet and made a box shape with her index fingers and thumbs.

"Looks great, doesn't it Bonnie?" Serena asked, admiring the beauty of the lobby.

"It looks wonderful! We did a good job, didn't we?" Bonnie exclaimed ecstatically.

"We sure did. Where's your brother?"

"He went back to our room. He hasn't come out since Ash left." Serena sighed after hearing this. It seemed she was a little down after the event that happened about an hour ago.

"He hasn't? How come?" Serena asked, feeling concerned.

"He wanted to be alone. He told me he regrets saying what he said to Ash and that he wants time to think it over." Bonnie responded. Serena then looked in the opposite direction.

"Well, we should go talk to him and let him hear what we have to say. It might help him a little bit." Serena suggested. Bonnie nodded at the idea.

"Okay. Let's do it." Bonnie replied. Her and Serena went to the elevator and went up to go see how Clemont was doing. When they got to the room, they opened the door to see Clemont on his bed with his legs crouched up against him, facing the wall.

"Clemont, you doing all right?" Serena asked quietly. Clemont didn't turn around or anything.

"I'm fine. I just want to be left alone right now." Clemont said. From what they could hear, there was guilt in his voice.

"Come on, Clemont. We can talk this over." Serena suggested. Clemont got up out of his crouched position and sat up on the bed.

"Okay, what do you want to say to me?" Clemont asked, acting like he could care less about what was going on right now.

"About what you said to Ash." Bonnie stated. Clemont held up both his hands in the air.

"Look, I regret what I said, and I feel bad about it." Clemont said apologetically.

"We know you do. And we're here to help you clear the air." Serena said as she and Bonnie sat down on the bed on opposite sides of him.

"Do you want to tell me that you're mad at me? I wouldn't blame you if you were." Clemont said in a depressing tone.

"We're not mad at you. Although we do think that it wasn't right of you to say those words about Ash's dad." Serena stated in her honest opinion.

"I know I went too far. I can't believe I got so worked up about the star that I said that. I wish Ash was back here so I could apologize." Clemont stated, looking down at the floor.

"I'm pretty sure Ash would appreciate it." Serena said.

"I did remember him saying something about my inventions always blowing up." Clemont stated.

"Well, that is true." Serena replied. "But he was also angry when he said that."

"But that doesn't mean Ash wasn't out of line when he said it." Bonnie stated.

"I thank you guys for helping me get over this. But it needs some time to think over." Clemont said.

"Okay we get it Clemont. We'll leave you alone for a while." Serena said as she started to get up and motioned her hand to have Bonnie come with her.

"Just find a way to cheer up, brother. This is Christmas after all." Bonnie stated as her and Serena then left the room, closing the door behind them. Clemont took what Bonnie said. It was the holidays, so hopefully Ash would be back soon.

Back at Angus's house, Angus had just given Ash his cup of cocoa and took a sip from his own. Ash then took a drink out of his.

"Be careful, it's a little hot." Angus said. Ash heard him and blew on his cocoa. Pikachu was on the floor next to Ash's feet sleeping. He fell asleep when they arrived.

"So tell me, why did your friend insult your dad?" Angus asked Ash. Ash lowered the mug from his lips until it was level with his chest.

"We got into a fight because I broke a star decoration that he had been making for the past week." Ash answered.

"How did it break?"

"I put it on the top of the tree but I didn't check if it was stable and it fell and smashed on the floor." Ash responded.

"Oh, well that is something you don't like to see." Angus stated, as he then took a sip of his cocoa.

"I may have insulted him as well." Ash stated. Angus removed the mug from his mouth and looked straight at Ash.

"How so?"

"I told him that the star would have blown up like his inventions always do."

"Do they?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"It may have been true, but I do admit that I went far with that one." Ash stated as he then took a gulp of his cocoa.

"So, how long have you been traveling with this fellow?" Angus asked.

"For a while. About a few months." Ash answered.

"Is it just you and him?" Angus asked, wondering if Ash had any other travel partners.

"No, there's his little sister that also travels with us, and there's this other girl who is a childhood friend of mine." Ash replied.

"Oh. Tell me about these people."

"Well, the guy who I got in a fight with, his name is Clemont. He wants to be an inventor someday. His little sister Bonnie, is a very chipper little girl and is always in a good mood. And Serena like I said before is a childhood friend of mine who I met back in Kanto years ago at summer camp who is a Pokemon performer." Ash explained. It took Angus a few moments to take in all this information.

"Seems you've got some genuine friends that you travel with." Angus commented. Ash smiled at this.

"They are. They're great people." Ash remarked.

"So were the other two girls involved in your little scuffle?" Angus asked.

"No. They were trying to help but it didn't work." Ash answered, looking down at his mug.

"Have you given any thought about forgiving your friend?" Angus questioned. Ash shook his head.

"No. I don't think I'm ready just yet. It will take me a while to get over it." Ash replied.

"Well, if that's the case, you can stay here tonight. I have a guest bedroom that you and your Pikachu can sleep in." Angus suggested. Ash smiled at the middle aged man.

"Thanks a lot! I don't think I'm ready to go back." Ash said.

"I'm going to go hit the hay. It's getting pretty late. You can turn in whenever you want. Just make sure that you have all the lights turned off before you do so." Angus explained.

"Okay, thanks Angus." Ash thanked.

"You're welcome. Good night!" Angus said before heading up to his room and closing the door.

Ash spent the next hour downstairs, sipping his cocoa. He didn't chug it down like he usually would. Since he was still a little miffed, he didn't have the appetite to eat or drink anything fast. He had been watching the tv when Angus came out of his room and said he could. Ash turned off the tv and went upstairs, carrying Pikachu in his arms. He opened the door and laid Pikachu down on the bed as he sat down himself and took off his snow coat, his blue and white short sleeved jacket, his shoes and socks, and his hat. He pulled back the covers and picked up Pikachu and placed him beside the pillow. Ash crawled into the covers and pulled them over his body as he rested his head off his pillow and drifted off into a deep slumber.

Christmas Eve was here and the day was going by fairly quick. It was already the evening, and Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie still hadn't seen Ash all day. They were surprised to see that he hasn't returned yet. Clemont felt bad the most. He knew he was responsible for Ash's departure and why he wasn't back yet. The silence then drew to a close when a figure walked in through the door and saw the three sitting there and walked over to them.

"Excuse me, do you three happen to know a guy named Ash Ketchum?" The person asked.

"Yeah, we do. And you are?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm Brock. I traveled with Ash on his Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh journeys." Brock answered.

"Oh, you're Brock. Ash always talks about you." Clemont stated. A look of joy appeared on Brock's face.

"He does talk a lot about me, huh? So who are you guys?" Brock asked the three.

"I'm Clemont. It's good to meet you."

"I'm Bonnie, Clemont's little sister. It's great to meet you."

"I'm Serena. It's great to meet you as well."

"Nice to meet you three. So you're the ones traveling with Ash right now, is that correct?" Brock asked. The three of them nodded their heads. "Well, speaking of Ash, where is my buddy?" An expression of sadness appeared on Serena's, Clemont's, and Bonnie's faces.

"He's not here right now. We haven't seen him all day." Bonnie answered. Brock then had a look of disappointment.

"How come?"

"Ash and I got into a fight yesterday and he stormed off." Clemont responded.

"Oh, well I'm sorry." Brock apologized. "I really could see an old friend right now."

"Then why don't you look behind you." A voice from behind Brock said. Brock turned around and saw Dawn standing there with her bags at her sides.

"Dawn, oh my. It's awesome to see you again!" Brock exclaimed, running up to Dawn and giving her a big hug.

"Same to you." Dawn said, returning the hug. She then noticed that Ash wasn't there. "Where's Ash?"

"Apparently he got into a fight with Clemont here yesterday and he hasn't returned." Brock answered. Dawn's expression turned negative.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear. And who are you guys?" Dawn asked, mentioning the three current traveling buddies of Ash.

After they each exchanged greetings with each other, they explained why Ash wasn't there at the moment and why the fight occurred. Dawn felt bad for the two people who were involved in the squabble, but since Ash wasn't there, she hugged Clemont, trying to comfort him.

"It'll be okay Clemont. Ash is a very forgiving person. He won't hold this against you for very long." Dawn stated.

"I hope so." Clemont said, staring at the floor.

"While we're at it, why don't we sit down and get to know each other better." Brock suggested. The others nodded their heads and sat back down to discuss what has been going on with them recently.

Night came and everyone was tired and soon went to sleep. A couple more of Ash's traveling buddies and friends appeared in the last few hours: Gary and Stephan. They each got to know the people who were traveling with Ash. Unluckily, Ash still didn't turn up, leaving his friends disappointed and worried that he wouldn't be back by the end of tomorrow. They went to bed wondering the same question: Where was Ash?

The following morning, after spending another night in Angus's home, Ash woke up to the smell of food. Pikachu did as well. The duo got up and walked downstairs. Ash saw that Angus was making breakfast, pancakes to be exact. Angus noticed that Ash was awake and greeted him.

"Hey sleeping beauty. How was your night?" Angus asked while joking at the same time.

"It was good. Got my eight hours." Ash replied.

"All right then. Let me get these last few pancakes done and we can eat." Angus stated as he flipped one of the pancakes. Ash took the glass of orange juice that was sitting on the table and took a drink. Angus eventually got the pancakes done and placed them on the table. Ash took a couple from the stack and put syrup on them and then took a bite.

"Thanks for doing this, Angus. I appreciate it." Ash thanked.

"No problem. Anytime." Angus said, taking a bite himself.

For the next minute, it was very quiet as the two munched on their breakfast. Angus was the one to break the silence.

"So are you going back to your friends today?" Ash swallowed the food that was in his mouth and answered.

"I'm not so sure yet. I'm still a little sore from the incident."

"How come? You should go. Your friends are probably worried sick about you." Angus commented.

"Yeah, probably. But my friend's comment is still playing over and over again in my head." Ash stated. Angus put down his fork and folded his hands.

"Okay Ash, I want you to listen to me for a minute." Ash finished what he was chewing and put down his fork.

"You can't keep letting this bother you. Your friend may have realized what he said was wrong and may be asking for your forgiveness. If you don't go back and forgive him, you probably won't forgive yourself." Ash heard what Angus had told him.

"You may be right, but like I said, I'm still a little shaky from it."

"Look Ash, it's the holidays, and it's all about being together with those you care about. Your friend cares about you. You should forgive your friend so you can be with all your friends and family. Remember, forgive and forget." Angus explained in further detail. Ash completely understood what Angus was trying to tell him. And he was right.

"You know what, you're right. I can't keep letting this hang over my head. Later on today I'm going to return to the Pokemon center and meet all my friends. I almost forgot that I called them all to come here." Ash said, a smile appearing on his face. One appeared on Angus's face as well.

A few hours later Ash got all his winter gear on and approached the front door with Pikachu. Angus walked to the front door with him.

"Now you go on and have a good time with your friends. I'm pretty sure they will be happy to see you again." Angus stated. Ash shook hands with Angus.

"Thanks for letting me stay here the last couple days. I really appreciate you doing so." Ash thanked the middle aged man.

"Anytime. Now, go have fun with your friends and mother." A look of shock appeared on Ash's face. He slapped his forehead in frustration.

"Aw, darn it! I totally forgot to call my mom the other day." Ash exclaimed.

"Oops. Hope that doesn't ruin your day. Have a good one."

"Thanks a lot again Angus. Hope I run into you again someday." Ash said running out the front door and waving goodbye to Angus. Angus waved back at the boy he had been giving so much hospitality for the last couple of days. He walked back in, mumbling something to himself.

"I forgot to do something myself."

 **Back at the Pokemon center**

It was two in the afternoon and all of Ash's friends had been waiting in the lobby. The rest of his former traveling companions had shown up that morning. They were told that Ash hadn't been there in a couple of days, and their worry only increased.

"Where is Ash? I hope he's not hurt somewhere. I haven't seen him since he left Unova." Cameron stated.

"Ash usually never bails on people, so I hope he shows up. I wouldn't have wanted him to miss out on seeing us." Cilan said.

"Yeah, I'm about to go back up to my room. He would have called us here for nothing." Gary stated.

"This is all my fault." Clemont said with his head hanging down. Everyone looked at him. "If I hadn't said that thing about his dad, he would be here right now." Bonnie put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder, and then gave him a hug. Maybe all was lost. Until…

"Hey, sorry I'm late everybody." Everyone turned around and saw Ash standing a few feet in front of the lobby's doors. Their faces lit up when they saw him.

"ASH!" Brock, Dawn, Gary, May, and Max shouted. They ran up to Ash one by one and slammed into a hug with him. But since they each did it so fast, Ash lost his balance and fell backwards, taking everybody with him.

"Okay, okay everybody. I'm glad to see you too. But could you please let me get up?" Ash asked. The five that hugged him got onto their feet and each helped him get up.

"Ash, it's awesome to see you. We thought you wouldn't make it." Brock stated.

"Well, I wouldn't want to miss this. I invited you all here for a reason." Ash mentioned. Clemont then went up to Ash. Ash took notice. Clemont spoke up.

"Ash, I'm really sorry-" Ash raised a hand, making him stop.

"No Clemont, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I broke your star."

"It's okay, Ash. I'm sorry that I overreacted and said what I said. I didn't mean it." Clemont apologized.

"I know you didn't. And I apologize for what I said about your inventions. It was pretty out of line." Ash apologized.

"Well it is true. But I forgive you." Clemont said, holding out his hand. Ash took his hand and shook it.

"Well it's nice to see all your old friends here." Clemont stated.

"But, there's one thing, I forgot to call my mom. So it looks like she won't be coming." Ash said, looking down at the ground.

"Are you sure?" A voice from behind Ash said. Ash turned around and saw his mom, Delia, standing there, arms outstretched.

"MOM!" Ash shouted and threw himself into his mom's hug. "You did make it. But how?"

"I called her." Serena answered.

"You did? But-"

"I realized you didn't call her when you were making your calls the other day, so I took the liberty of doing so." A smile spread across Ash's mouth. Serena bailed him out. He definitely owed her for this.

"So what are you guys waiting for? Let's get this party started!" Ash exclaimed.

It was an hour into the party and Ash was getting to know what his former traveling companions have been doing since they parted ways. A lot of them even got to know each other too. Ash was happy to see them all getting along so well. He was distracted by this, but he did feel a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Angus, gift box in hand.

"Angus? What are you doing here?" Ash said, letting out a few chuckles.

"Well, I wanted to see how everything was going. And plus, I came to give you this." Angus said, holding out his arm with the gift in it. Ash took it from his hands and looked at it. "I got it for you while I was out yesterday. And since you were such a good kid while you stayed with me, I figured I'd get you something." Ash looked surprised. "What are you waiting for? Open it!" Ash tore the paper open slowly. When the paper was torn off, he opened the lid of the box. What it contained surprised Ash as his eyes widened.

"Five ultra balls?"

"Yeah. I remember you telling me you were a trainer trying to become a Pokemon master. I thought I would give you a boost in achieving that dream." Angus explained. Ash smiled and gave Angus a big hug. After releasing from the hug, Ash still looked confused.

"Thanks Angus! But you didn't have to do this." Ash said.

"You're right, I didn't have to. I wanted to." Angus commented. Ash smiled at the generosity of the middle aged man.

"Merry Christmas Angus!"

"You too Ash!"

Ash went and put his box of ultra balls under the tree. He walked over, thinking about what has transpired the last couple days. He didn't look where he was going, and he then bumped into somebody. He looked and saw that it was Serena. Serena smiled at the raven haired trainer.

"We're all really glad you made it Ash." Serena said. Ash rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm glad too. I would've hated myself if I didn't make it." Ash stated.

"Thanks for calling my mom. That helped a lot."

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure."

"I appreciate that you have my back."

"Ash, no matter what, I will always have your back."

"Thanks Serena that means a lot coming from you." Ash said, causing Serena to blush pink a little. Ash then looked up, noticing something that was above the two of them. "Hey, what's that hanging from the ceiling?" Ash said, pointing at the object. Serena noticed this and gasped.

"Uh, Ash, I-I-think… Th-that's the mistletoe." Serena answered, looking away and now blushing a dark crimson. Ash now had a tiny pink blush on his face as well.

"Oh… um… well… that's… uh…"

"Oh just come here!" Serena exclaimed and grabbed Ash's cheeks and planted a deep kiss onto his lips. Ash's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as the kiss went on. After about a minute, Serena let go. Ash stayed in the stance that he was in.

"Whoa!" Ash commented. Serena let out a cute giggle.

"Merry Christmas Ash!" Serena said while Ash continued to stay in that stance. Serena was now happy, she got one of the gifts she was wanting. She giggled at Ash stuck in his stance.

"Best Christmas ever!" Serena said to out loud to herself.

 **Author's note:** Well, how was that? I thought it went pretty well. But I'll let you guys decide that. So with that being said you enjoy the rest of your holiday.

 **Merry Christmas and happy holidays!**

 **TDBigJ out!**


End file.
